my money is on getting a solid state amp that mates properly with the sopra low impedance, and addressing placement and less than ideal room effects
maybe break in if the speakers are brand new
then you will have a better chance at the best bass that can be gotten from the sopras first para of what i said above is incorrect... now that i realize the op’s macintosh is a high power solid state unit... that amp shoud drive the sopra’s just fine gotta be the room and speaker/room coupling - sopra may be somewhat bright up top, but it is not significantly lacking in bass |
I wonder what a pair of REL S2's would do to your sound? I added a pair of these and it really made a difference. You have to dial them in so they don't stand out from your main speakers. If done correctly, they will act more like additional larger size woofers.
I would be curious to know what kinds of music you enjoy listening to.
I do like the tweeters and the mid voicing of Focal's, but I do think they could use a little more base. That is why I mentioned the REL Subwoofers. Their high level connection is really a clever way to integrate a subwoofer with tower speakers. |
I have Sopra 2 and for the size they do indeed don’t go as low as you would think they could. I have 200hz suck as well as a dip in 80, as well as 40. Very common. I did as someone else’s suggested. I use Roon and it’s DSP and merged in my sub. Ultra 13 from SVS with the upgraded amp. Together they mesh very well and sub disappears with the DSP. MiniDSP is another sub too but I don’t have any experience with it. Love my set up now. |
4 hours later... - Tapping the 4, followed by 2 omh destroyed fidelity. It was progressively like cutting the volume, stage, everything in half with each step. 8 omh it is, but did I do something wrong?
- Confirmed, the best I get is 96 kHz from my Node via optical to the Mc DAC.
- Speaker placement. Did not make a difference, save for the suggested 1’ from the back wall, and this was the only placement with some improvement. Not sure I like it and it still did not get me "there". Of note is that I did hear the desired result if I stood on center, about 3’ from the front line. In fact, this was true with every placement. The end result is that no position resulted in a material difference. I could not get what I wanted unless I was positioned close to the front of them.
- This room is not a converted garage. It’s a first floor, cement, berber rug, and 3/4" rubber matted floor. It doubles as a workout room. Ashamed to say this, but it’s what I have to work with at the moment. Other rooms are smaller, but I may end up moving the system.
- @audiorusty I have to bump the 25 3/4th turn from neutral and the 50, 1/4 turn. I leave all other dials as-is.
- My VTI rack does not fit my MA9000. Not happy. It’s on me. I needed 10" or better and the rack has a 9" clearance. Down on myself for making this mistake!
Next steps: - Purchase an area rug ASAP!
- Wall and ceiling treatments - just have no clue where to diffuse vs adsorb.
- In short, remove the echo, reflections and establish a new baseline.
- Research subs. There is a terrific, active post on this site regarding musical subs. It leaves me nervous on what to pursue.
- I have a old, Boston Acoustics sub (PV800) in my living room. I’m going to bring it down and see what happens.
I will wait for the room to be treated and revisit. Targeting the end of this week. There is nothing else I can do at this time. Side note: The 4 hours I just spent was still amazing in terms of the best sound I’ve owned to-date. I love this system! I just know it can be a bit fuller and have reach the heights I know are possible. Addendum: My wife agreed to move the gym, rubber flooring, etc. to a another room and turn this room into a lounge! Progress! |
@izjjzi It seems that you have a wonderful opportunity to develop a dedicated room for high fidelity, with your wife's approval, maybe even her suggestion. What an awesome and ideal situation you have. From here, if I may suggest, put some good attention to this and you will reap fantastic rewards of audio satisfaction. Seek all of the information that you possibly can, getting educated and making good choices through the process.
You are a lucky man. You have some great product. Enjoy it in good health. |
